Stressing that she has never seen a cyclone of such an intensity, Mamata Banerjee said the property loss due to cyclone Amphan is “huge”.
Two days after cyclone Amphan battered several parts of West Bengal, leaving a trail of destruction and 80 people dead, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said she has never seen such a calamity in her life. Speaking to the media ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state to access the damage caused by cyclone Amphan, Mamata Banerjee also mentioned that the property loss is “huge”.
Mamata Banerjee said she was “shocked” to witness a cyclone of such intensity which made its landfall at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday close to the Sundarbans between Digha in West Bengal and Hatia Islands in Bangladesh.
“I have never seen such a cyclone in my life. I was shocked and surprised. We are unable to call and speak to anyone. There is a map that we have prepared. We will go to each and every part of the country which has bee affected by cyclone Amphan,” Mamata Banerjee said.
The West Bengal chief minister further added that the government officials will visit Minakhan, Sandeshkhali, Namkhana, Gosaba, Kultali, Kulpi, Kakdwip and Falta to access the situation following the landfall of cyclone Amphan.
While stressing that the cyclone Amphan was “lengthy”, Mamata Banerjee said the state has evacuated six lakh people to safety.
“The storm was so lengthy. Its eye was Kolkata and tail was Nadia. There, 60 per cent of people have been affected. Property loss is huge. It will take time to clean the areas. We will contact tree cutters to clear the areas where trees have fallen. A lot of damage has been reported in Kolkata,” Mamata Banerjee said.
We are fighting three challenges, she said, adding that the government has been unable to call and speak to anyone following the damages in the communication lines cyclone Amphan has left.
